On the Eve of a “Serena Slam,” a Look at America’s Greatest Athlete

With Serena Williams just one win away from a “Serena Slam,” (winning all four Grand Slams in one year; she’s already won the Australian, French and U.S. Opens and will play in the Wimbledon finals this Saturday against Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza) I revisited Ian Crouch’s piece from last fall arguing that Williams is “the greatest American athlete in a generation.” He writes:

“Forget tennis for a moment, though: when I say the greatest athlete in a generation, I mean the greatest in any sport. Sorry, LeBron. Sorry, Tiger. Sorry, Derek. For fifteen years, over two generations of tennis, Williams has been a spectacular and constant yet oddly uncherished national treasure. She is wealthy and famous, but it seems that she should be more famous, the most famous. Anyone who likes sports should love Williams’s dazzling combination of talent, persistence, style, unpredictability, poise, and outsized, heart-on-her-sleeve flaws.” Read on.

This post is from Observer Short List—an email of three favorite things from people you want to know. Sign up to receive OSL here.